Introduction
Welcome to the Statistics and Data library guide
This guide contains Australian and international statistical resources and tips on finding and analysing statistics.
Australian
We have selected the 3 most popular Australian statistics resources with more grouped by topic.
Not found what you are after? Check our tips for locating statistics.
Top 3 resources for Australian statistics
Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
The key resource for statistical data in Australia.
The ABS website contains statistics on the economy, labour, health, environment, industry and people.
Need more detail in your data?
The University has access to Microdata, more detailed information about individuals, businesses and other groups than the publically available dataset.
Details and how to apply, on the ABS website
Government Open Data portals
All levels of government have committed to making data produced by departments and agencies more accessible. You will find a range of data that can be used for statistical purposes
IBISWorld
IBISWorld industry reports contains statistics for Australian industries such as Construction, Education, and Transport.
Australian statistics by topic
- Economic indicators and statistics
ABS. - Australian Commodity Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.
- International trade
ABS. - Trade and Economic Data
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. - Agricultural commodities
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. - Resources and energy quarterly
Office of the Chief Economist - Australian minerals energy resource forecasts and statistics.
- Labour
ABS. - Melbourne Institute The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey
The HILDA Survey collects data about economic and subjective well-being, labour market dynamics and family dynamics.
- Education
ABS. - My School
Australian government initiative to provide comparable statistics on Australian schools. - Australian Universities - Key Facts & Data
Universities Australia.
- Health
ABS. - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Government agency for health and welfare statistics and information. - National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Statistics and Data
Research funding statistics and data. - Department of Health and Ageing Statistics
GP, Medicare, hospital and PBS statistics.
- National, state and territory population
ABS - Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN)
Urban and regional research, planning and infrastructure. Data sources include and are not limited to: demographic information, population health data, urban planning information, water and infrastructure data. - Australian Institute of Criminology
Criminal research publications, statistics and reports.
Want more resources and tips for finding Australian government documents?
Visit the library guide Australian Government Documents
International
We have selected the 3 most popular International statistics resources with more grouped by topic.
Not found what you are after? Check our tips for locating statistics.
Top 3 resources for International statistics
The World Bank
DataBank features indicators on many topics including economic development, governance, health, environment and jobs.
You can create your own queries; generate and save tables, charts, and maps.
United Nations Statistics Division
Global statistical information on economy, environment, population, society and trade.
Statistics for UN programs such as sustainable development goals.
OECD ilibrary
The OECD iLibrary contains a wide range of statistics from the 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
International statistics by topic
- World Development Indicators (The World Bank)
Annual economic, social, labour, educational, environmental and health data compiled by the World Bank. 1960-present. - EIU Country Data
Annual, quarterly and monthly economic indicators and forecasts. - IMF eLibrary
The International Monetary Fund's statistical data and tools. Covers macroeconomics, globalization, development, trade and aid, technical assistance, demographics, emerging markets, policy advice and poverty reduction. - OECD iLibrary
Contains a range of statistics from the 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.. - Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online (United Nations)
Current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. Topics include population, industrial production indices, price indices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade, finance and national accounts. - Global Financial Data (GFD)
The Economic Database in GFD provides data on employment and the labour force, production and output, money aggregates, international liquidity, the financial sector and price indices (consumer, wholesale and producer). Other GFD databases included are: Exchange Rate, Government & Debt and the National Accounts. NOTE: Individual registration is required to use this database. Click on the link above and view the instructions in the NOTE field. - UNCTADstat
UNCTADstat (United Nations institution) provides free access to comprehensive statistical time series and indicators for analysis of world trade, development, and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and durable development. - Eurostat
Statistics and data on the European Union and its member states. Statistical themes include economy, finance, population, health, social conditions, industry, trade, agriculture, transport, environment and energy.
- UNComtrade
United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database.
Standardised annual international trade statistics data for over 170 countries.
1962-current. - World Trade Organization (WTO) statistics
WTO statistics including the annual publication International Trade Statistics
2000-current. - Monthly Statistics of International Trade
OECD iLibrary - World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS)
World Bank and UNCTAD data on trade, tariffs, and non-tariff measures. Requires registration. - World Development Indicators (The World Bank)
Annual economic, social, labour, educational, environmental and health data compiled by the World Bank from officially-recognised international sources.
1960-current. - EIU Country Data
Annual, quarterly and monthly economic indicators and forecasts. The Library has access to Country Data for the Asian region. - Global Financial Data (GFD)
The International Trade Database in GFD provides data on the balance of payments, exports and imports, trade barriers and indices. Some data goes back to 1700s.
NOTE: Individual registration is required to use this database. Click on the link above and view the instructions in the NOTE field. - External and intra-EU trade - statistical yearbook
Data on long-term trends in the trade of the European Union and its Member States, and annual statistics on the trade flows of the EU with its main trading partners and between the Member States. - Federation of International Trade Associations - Trade Statistics
Promotion of international trade, import-export, international logistics management, international finance and more. - International Historical Statistics
Contains external trade statistics for Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe from 1750 - 2010.
- GFDatabase
The Economic Database in GFD provides data on labor markets such as the unemployment rate, size of the labor force, production and output data. - ILOSTA
International Labour Office. Data from 1969 to the present. Includes data from the ILO Yearbook of Labour Statistics (annual data from 1969) and the ILO Bulletin of Labour Statistics (monthly data from 1976).
- Education for All - Global Monitoring Report
Report funded jointly by UNESCO and multilateral and bilateral agencies. - GFDatabase
The Development Database in GFD provides data on Education. - World Development Indicators (The World Bank)
Annual economic, social, labour, educational, environmental and health data compiled by the World Bank. 1960-present. - Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Topics include: education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism. - UNESCO
Comprehensive education statistics from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). - OECD iLibrary
Contains a range of statistics from the 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
- World Development Indicators (The World Bank)
Annual economic, social, labour, educational, environmental and health data compiled by the World Bank from officially-recognised international sources. Provides data from 1960 to the present. Population data is under Health. - Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online (United Nations)
Database of current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. Topics include population, industrial production indices, price indices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade, finance and national accounts. - GFDatabase
The Development Database in Global Financial Data (GFD) provides data on overall populations, birth and mortality rates as well as demographic data on various age groups. - World Factbook (CIA)
Information and statistics on 266 world entities. - International Historical Statistics
Contains population statistics for Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe from 1750 - 2010.
- Global Health Observatory
The World Health Organization's gateway to health-related statistics. - OECD iLibrary
Theme: Social Issues/Migration/Health. - The World Bank - Health
Data covering health systems, disease prevention, reproductive health, nutrition, and population dynamics. - UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNAIDS publishes the best available data from countries on the AIDS epidemic. - UNICEF Child statistics
Statistical information from UNICEF on the children's health. - Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Topics include: education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism. - GFDatabase
The Development Database in GFD provides data on Health.
NOTE: Individual registration is required to use this database. Click on the link above and view the instructions in the NOTE field.
- Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online (United Nations)
Current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. Topics include population, industrial production indices, price indices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade, finance and national accounts. - OECD iLibrary
Contains a range of statistics from the 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. - GFDatabase
The Development in GFD provides data on various industries.
NOTE: Individual registration is required to use this database. Click on the link above and view the instructions in the NOTE field. - Passport
Provides industry and market data. - Mintel Academic
Contains UK and US consumer industry reports, Europe consumer goods reports, UK industrial reports, and global travel and tourism industry reports. Each report has its own homepage linking to relevant news, company information and related reports. - Statista
Contains market data, market research and market studies. Statistics are drawn from consumer survey results and industry studies.
Finding
There's lots of statistics out there.
There may be other resources, not in this guide, that will be useful for your research. Start by identifying organisations that might be collecting the types of data you are looking for.
Governments
Most statistics are collected by national and subnational government agencies.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Office for National Statistics (UK)
International Organisations
Collect and collate statistics from different countries.
- World Bank
- the United Nations
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
National Organisations
Collect statistics on particular areas of interest
- Australian Council for Educational Research
- Diabetes Australia
Professional Associations
Conduct research and publish survey findings
- Australian Institute of Management
Evaluating
It is important to evaluate statistical sources and data.
Questions to ask include:
Are the statistics relevant to your research?
Look at the type, depth and time range of data, and consider possible biases.
Are the statistics reliable?
Are they from an authoritative source such as government or a recognised international organisation?
What methodology was used?
Many sources of statistics document the methodology used.
Warning: different data collection methods across countries
International statistics are dependent on the collection of data by national governments and other agencies, so the types, depth and dates of data are not always consistent between countries.
Collection of data within individual countries
- changes over time
- may be inconsistent across states
- and can be disrupted by events such as regime change and war
Analysing
Further help
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